Seen here are Yu Ya-ting and her partner of seven years Huang Mei-yu. The two got married in a same-sex Buddhist ceremony last Saturday, becoming the Taiwan's first lesbian couple to do so. Their "Barbie and Barbie's wedding" was conducted in the capital city of Taipei, and is said to have attracted over 1,000 guests and curious onlookers.
Their union may not be legal, and Huang said they had hoped that a wedding blessed by a Buddhist master would encourage more Taiwanese to support same-sex marriage. She tells CNN:
"I remember when I told my parents that we would get married, their first question was, 'Is this legal?'" Huang said. "I could only say to them that it would soon, but I didn't know when would be considered soon. So we hope it will become legal."
Taiwan was the first nation in Asia to introduce a bill to legalize same-sex marriage and adoption by same-sex couples. The bill which was drafted in 2003 under former president Chen Shui-bian has made little headway in Taiwan's legislature, due to pressure from Christian groups.And Taipei's annual gay pride parade has become Asia's largest since its inception in 2003, attracting 50,000 people last October.
